Real World star, Sean Sasser, has died at the age of 44 following a battle with a rare type of lung cancer, according to reports this week.

Judd Winnick, Sasser's friend and "Real World" costar, on Twitter Tuesday, "Our love goes out to his family and husband Michael."

Sasser had been a star of former MTV "Real World: San Francisco" and had been a popular figure on the show. However, in recent times he was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer, and he finally succumbed this week.

It has also been reported that Sasser, who was working as a pastry chef at RIS Restaurant in Washington, D.C., was HIV positive. However, it is confirmed that he died of mesothelioma, a rare kind of lung cancer.

Sasser of course is well-known for holding a public "commitment ceremony" with his same-sex partner, and Real World co-star, Pedro Zamora – the first ever held on national television, long before same-sex marriage was brought into effect in various states in the U.S.

Sasser's same-sex partner, Zamora, died of AIDS in 1994 aged just 22.

Here is a video news report into the death of former Real World star, Sean Sasser: